Celebrating Sea Week

This is the message a group of tamariki from Campus Corner Early Learning Centre were taught during Sea Week this year, as they ventured across to the NMIT aquaculture department, visiting fish in the aquariums and enjoying several interactive activities.  

Anja Studer, aquaculture and marine conservation tutor at NMIT, was there to guide the group, and talked about fish diets, the broader food web and the importance of respecting marine life.  

“The tamariki were excited to see and feed the colourful fish we keep here,” says Anja. “They particularly loved the action when the fish got into a frenzy over frozen blood worms – which we refer to as their ice cream treat.” 

The children also engaged with a touch tank of starfish, kina, seaweeds and mussels, got to dig for shells on a mini beach, construct tinfoil boats and even race sea snails. 

“It was a wonderful opportunity to engage with these lovely tamariki and hopefully plant some seeds in the minds of the future kaitiaki of our planet,” says Anja.  

Head Teacher of Campus Corner, CJ Strange, sends a huge thank you to the NMIT Aquaculture team for making the experience possible for the tamariki. 

“This visit to the aquaculture labs not only provided a practical application of our Sea Week learnings but also profoundly enriched the children's understanding and respect for marine life, aligning with our current curriculum focus around Kaitiakitanga - taking care of our environment,” says CJ. 

Sea Week(external link) is New Zealand’s annual national week celebrating the sea and was from 2 March to 10 March for 2024.  

For more information about our aquaculture and marine conservation programmes, visit the NMIT website(external link).